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Janet Freedman

Janet Freedman

Janet Freedman served as Dean of Library Services and Professor of Education at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She chaired the Department of Education, directed the Women’s Studies Program and co-directed the university’s Center for Jewish Culture.

Her interest in exploring the influence of consciousness raising grows from her own efforts to implement the goal of that process: to link personal experience to meaningful professional and social action.

Janet initiated and participated in many projects to advance the role of libraries as vehicles for social engagement and change, and to create services for women on campus and in the community. She sought to apply a feminist model of leadership to her work as a Dean and faculty member at UMass Dartmouth, promoting a respectful, diverse campus community, advocating for the personal and professional growth of staff and encouraging the active participation of students in shaping their own learning.

She has learned much from community voluntarism, including work with the New Bedford Women’s Center and Jewish Federation of Greater New Bedford, and tutoring in area schools.

Current Projects

Janet will continue to speak and write on the ways in which consciousness-raising and related small group processes can help promote social justice in workplaces, families, religious institutions, political involvements and social media. She also intends to begin research on a new project exploring the use - and abuse - of language in activism for social justice.